Top NBA Games To Watch Over Spring Break

Spring Break. Perfect for watching some of the best basketball available instead of going out in the pesky sun! Here are some games (one per day, Saturday to Saturday) you should be sure to check out. (All game-times posted are EST)

Saturday, March 5th - Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Featuring two talented young teams, this 7:00 PM game will be a great opportunity to see a tough match-up between some of the NBA's future stars.

The main attraction here is Anthony Davis of the Pelicans, who has been putting up gaudy numbers since the All Star break while also improving his career averages this season, but the Jazz may be the favorite going in.

Shooting guard Rodney Hood is having a break out year (averaging 15 points per game) and seems to be showing signs of confidence, making him a new leader for this Utah team. However, you can't talk about the Jazz without mentioning Gordon Hayward, who is putting up 20 points per game and is one of the best small forwards in basketball today.

Games on this date airing on national television:

Rockets vs. Bulls @ 8:30 PM (ABC)

Sunday, March 6th - Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The NBA Championship contending Thunder take on the young and talented Bucks at 3:30 PM this Sunday, where we will see the dominant duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant take on the promising core of the Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Khris Middleton.

Westbrook is nearly averaging a triple double this season, putting up 24 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds per game. He seems to have reached equal footing with superstar Kevin Durant, who is putting up 28 points and 8 rebounds per game. This may be a good game for the Thunder bench to get some more playoff preparation too, as they seem to be OKC's biggest weakness and could prove to be a liability in the postseason.

The Bucks are an even more interesting team this year. The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has posted multiple triple-doubles this year following the first of his career against the Lakers earlier in the season. Jabari Parker has begun to fulfill his potential since the All Star break too, having multiple 20+ point games and proving that he is an offensive threat. Pulling out a victory against the rolling Thunder could make a statement, showing that Milwaukee is for real.

Games on this date airing on national television:

Trailblazers vs. Pistons @ 6:00 PM (NBA TV)

Monday, March 7th - Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Charlotte Hornets

The current favorite for Rookie of the Year, #1 overall draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns, will lead the Wolves against the determined and hopeful Hornets at 7:00 PM on Monday.

Some players to look out for on Charlotte include the always exciting Jeremy Lin and swingman Nicolas Batum. Lin always plays with plenty of hustle, perfect for the Hornets' system, and is becoming more of a reliable offensive option as the season goes on. Nic Batum is a sleeper threat on Charlotte, putting up 15 points per game while defenses focus their attention on his headlining teammates Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson.

The Hornets took a defensive hit as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered another season-ending injury, but proceeded to pick up Courtney Lee before the trade deadline, adding a jack-of-all-trades, being a long-range shooting threat, reliable ballhandler, and solid perimeter defender.

The Timberwolves, like the Jazz and Bucks, have yet another strong young team with a bright future. Karl-Anthony Towns has been the story of the season, already averaging a double-double for his rookie year with 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. Minnesota still has threatening youth beyond Towns, namely Andrew Wiggins, who is improving on his Rookie of the Year performance from last season by averaging 21 points per game this year while pairing with Towns to become a scary duo on both sides of the ball. The Wolves may not be making it into the postseason this year, but they will present Charlotte with a challenge as the Hornets are trying to swipe a favorable seed in the Eastern Conference.

Games on this date airing on national television:

Grizzlies vs. Cavs @ 7:00 PM (NBA TV)

Tuesday, March 8th - Orlando Magic vs. LA Lakers

If you can't tell already, I may have a slight bias towards young teams. Even though the Lakers are one of the worst groups in the league this year, they still have players worth watching (besides Kobe in his farewell season). They take on the young, enigmatic Orlando Magic at 10:30 PM on Tuesday.

D'Angelo Russell is finally playing like a #2 draft pick! He dropped 39 points against the Nets recently and is showing that he has a good chance to be the star that LA hopes will take the reins from Kobe Bryant after his retirement. The Lakers also still have Julius Randle on their squad, who has been playing great this season and is showing huge potential as a high-intensity offensive forward.

The best thing the Magic have going for them is entertainment value. The combo of high-flying Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja makes for some fun basketball, especially with a skilled passer like Elfrid Payton feeding them the rock. Nikola Vucevic is their talented offensive big man and has a habit of making clutch shots in crunch time, making him the X-factor in this game.

Wednesday, March 9th - Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks

Yes, the Clippers are playing the Thunder on this same night. That's still a great game to watch, but I'm featuring Detroit and Dallas for a few reasons:

* Blake Griffin may still be out for the Clips

* The Thunder are on this list multiple times already so I don't want to saturate it with one team

* Andre Drummond

* Dirk Nowitzki

Andre Drummond is averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds per game. He's also only 22 years old and the face of the Detroit franchise. I recommend witnessing as much of this guy's career as you possibly can, both for his uncommon talent and his comically bad free throws.

Detroit seems to have a contender attitude this year as well. They picked up a solid wing in Tobias Harris before the trade deadline. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is turning into an elite shooting guard. And the point guard duo of Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings makes it so both the starting lineup and bench run smoothly.

Dallas is a good test for the Pistons when it comes to playoff-caliber competition. With Detroit holding on to the 8th seed and hoping for more, beating a team that is currently 6th in the West and comprised of players like living legend Dirk Nowitzki and elite two-way player Wesley Matthews would be a huge confidence boost for this Pistons team.

Tip-off is at 8:30 PM on Wednesday.

Games on this date airing on national television:

Grizzlies vs. Celtics @ 7:00 PM (ESPN)

Clippers vs. Thunder @ 9:30 PM (ESPN)

Thursday, March 10th - Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs

This one is actually going to be on national TV! Airing at 8:00 PM on TNT, we'll get to see one of the top teams in the East take on one of the best teams in the history of the NBA. The Warriors are having a historic season, as everyone knows, but the Spurs are not far behind and also have a chance to have one of the greatest win/loss records of all time.

Former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is the real deal. This year he is averaging 20 points per game for the Spurs, and offense isn't even his specialty. He's one of the best defensive players in the league today. With Tim Duncan on his way out, Kawhi has taken on a heavier offensive responsibility and is now a true leader of this Spurs team. Even with the addition of the skilled scorer LaMarcus Aldridge to the squad this year. If there's one team that has the best chance to upset the Warriors in the playoffs, it's the Spurs, so this game will be a great chance to see them in action against tough competition.

The Bulls also have an elite two-way player in Jimmy Butler, but sadly he's been out because of injury. Derrick Rose has been playing better as the year has gone on, and apparently Doug McDermott is dunking now, so they're still a fun team to watch.

Other games on this date on national television:

Cavs vs. Lakers @ 10:30 PM (TNT)

Friday, March 11th - Portland Trailblazers vs. Golden State Warriors

Out of the entire Spring Break week, this game is my most anticipated. It boggles my mind that it won't be nationally televised. These teams have two of the best frontcourts in the league right now and they are so exciting to watch.

The Blazers were pegged to be one of the worst teams in the league this season after they lost Wes Matthews, Nic Batum, and LaMarcus Aldridge. However, Damian Lillard has stepped up tremendously and C.J. McCollum has had a breakout year, continuing their individual performances from last year's postseason. The Blazers are one a roll lately and have had a chip on their shoulder ever since the All Star break. It would be amazing if their momentum and confidence carried them to an upset victory over Golden State.

The Warriors just continue to amaze. Even when MVP Steph Curry and Finals MVP Andre Iguodala sit out like they did against the Hawks recently, players like Draymond Green step up and find a way to win. It would be fantastic just to see a shooting duel in this game between Curry/Thompson and Lillard/McCollum. We could be in for a treat.

The game airs at 10:30 PM next Friday.

Games on this date airing on national television:

Heat vs. Bulls @ 8:00 PM (NBA TV)

Knicks vs. Clippers @ 10:30 PM (NBA TV)

Saturday, March 12th - Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

Spring Break will end with a bang. This game will air nationally on ABC at 8:30 PM. Primetime, as it should be. Two of the best teams in the league will give us a preview of what the playoffs could potentially look like.

If anything, the Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant matchup should be enough to make this game epic. Then add in Russell Westbrook vs. Danny Green and Serge Ibaka vs. LaMarcus Aldridge and this sounds like an All Star game. And I haven't even mentioned Tim Duncan yet. He's old, sure. But there's always a chance we see flashes of prime Timmy, especially in a marquee matchup like this. Let's just hope Gregg Popovich doesn't decide to rest half the team.